Effects of different methods of reflection on nurses' gaze and judgement in a task using a touch panel

Aims and objectives To clarify the effects of different methods of reflection on nurses' gaze and judgement in a task using a touch panel, written and oral methods of reflection were compared. Background Recently, with the development of ICT, nursing education and learning with ICT have spread. However, there are few studies that have analysed the objective effects of learning with ICT and the effects of different methods of learning. Design This study was a randomised controlled trial comparing writing and oral reflection groups. Methods Forty‐one nurses were divided into two groups as follows: 21 nurses in the writing group and 20 nurses in the oral group. Eye movements were recorded as subjects performed a task on a touch panel. A still photograph of the hospital room was displayed on the touch panel, and the subjects touched the panel according to the instructions provided. Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann–Whitney test to compare the results between the two groups. Results In an observation task using a touch panel of a setting requiring environmental improvement, we found no observable differences between the two reflection methods with regard to gaze and judgement in the overall setting. However, with respect to the items in the setting, the writing group judged with gazing after reflection, whereas the oral group judged without gazing. Conclusions Oral reflection as well as reflective writing had positive effects on observation for tasks requiring overall gaze and judgement. On the other hand, reflective writing promoted the visual verification of items requiring observation in the hospital setting. Relevance to clinical practice Reflective writing promotes visual verification in nurses in a clinical setting while performing a task using a touch panel.